From the Dream
by Wernher von Braun
Summary: It was just an ordinary day when a woman came and joined the Adventure's Guild. Yet as time passed, it was clear that there was something more about his woman; more than meets the eye. And when they look at her, familiarity seemed to be in their mind, even those who never meet her. Perhaps, the answer lies in the hands of someone that they never expect.
1. A Woman Called Hunter

**A Woman Called Hunter**

"Thank you for your efforts! Here's your reward!"

After giving the Adventurers two bags of gold coins, Guild Girl returned back to the papers that she was working on earlier. Things were doing fine, as far as she could tell. There hasn't been any new contract for extremely dangerous creatures like dragon, ogre, giant spider, and more. The rate of the goblin-slaying quest that she received was also decreasing, which was good news for the villagers and her.

Oh, it was also good news for Goblin Slayer. When he noticed the decrease, she admitted she might be simply misheard it but he sounded happier than usual.

Though it didn't take much to sound happier than his usual tone, to be honest.

She stopped doing her papers when she heard someone entered the building. Guild Girl looked at the door and saw the one who entered the Guild. The person was mostly covered from head to toe but upon seeing the braided brown hair, Guild Girl deduced that the one who entered the building was a female.

Her clothing looked like the ones worn by high-class people back at the capital. Though it was worn by males and the material didn't look expensive. Look fancy sure but they looked more like working clothes that have the appearance of high-class clothes.

As she walked towards the registration desk, Guild Girl noticed three things that stood out the most from the woman. They were a walking cane that she used in her right hand, though she didn't seem to have a problem walking, a katana on her left side, and a firearm on her right side. The last one interested Guild Girl a lot since firearms were expensive, at least the ones that the woman carried. There were firearms that were only half the cost of the ones high-class people owned but they tend to be longer and usually used by the kingdom troops.

Heck, she had been working in the East Guild Town for years and only ever seen one Adventurer with a firearm and even then, that was not her main weapon.

"I would like to become an Adventurer." The woman stated as she stopped in front of Guild Girl.

"Ah, of course, miss." She replied as she went to pick up the Adventure Sheet. "Please fill out this sheet!"

The woman leaned her cane on the desk and wrote with her right hand. Just as Guild Girl deduced, the woman didn't need a walking cane for support as she didn't have a problem when she let the cane go.

"Here." The woman offered the sheet back.

"Thanks." Guild Girl accepted the sheet and a few minutes later, the ID for the new Adventurer was done. "Here you go!"

The woman accepted the porcelain ID and before Guild Girl could say anything, the former already went towards the quest board. She looked at the papers posted there before taking one of them and returned to the desk. The woman gave the paper to Guild Girl, who couldn't hide her shock upon reading it.

"M-Manticore?! Miss, I don't think a beginner should take this kind of quest." She tried to make the new Adventurer changed her mind. "There's a more suitable quest like slaying giant arts."

"It's not that." The woman grabbed something from her pocket and put it on the desk.

It was a small pouch. Curiously, Guild Girl opened it and was surprised when she saw a heart inside it. She picked up a dictionary about monsters and opened it at the page that she believed to be relevant. It was confirmed; it was the heart of a manticore.

"I slew one on my way here. Figured out it might be the one this quest giver is looking for." The woman explained.

"Ah, I…see." Guild Girl said in return before she stored away from the heart. When she returned, it was with two bags of gold. "Here's the reward for your effort!"

As the woman silently accepted them, Guild Girl looked back at the former's Adventure Sheet. It seemed that she believed herself to be weaker than the reality since it wasn't that impressive for a beginner. It was not uncommon though for new Adventurers to make that kind of mistake. All it needed was some simple adjustment and…

Her thought was interrupted when the woman returned with another paper in hand. She gave it to Guild Girl before picking up her cane and walked towards the door. However, she stopped when she heard her screamed.

"Wait!"

The new Adventurer looked back at Guild Girl, who had her arm stretched towards her.

"Goblin slaying is a dangerous quest, Miss Hunter. This is something that you better take with a team of Adventurers." Guild Girl warned.

"This won't be my first rodeo with something that needs a team." The woman replied before walking back towards the door. "Also, call me Good Hunter. That's what my…associates called me…and Hunter is not my name."

"Wait, what?"

Before she could ask more, the woman – Good Hunter – already exited the Guild. Guild Girl could do nothing but sighed and wished her good luck.

* * *

Two goblins were currently guarding the entrance of their nest. It was almost noon, a time when goblins should've been sleeping. But they have learned that all goblins must not sleep at one time unless Adventurers could sneak up into their nest and killed them in their sleep.

The goblins, who were trying to not fall asleep, noticed that someone was approaching their nest. They couldn't guess what kind of species it was or even its gender. The creature was covered in clothes except for the area around its eyes. They tried to guess it through smell but found it unusual. Not like something they usually smell.

Perhaps a new creature decided to join the Adventurers in hunting them?

Both goblins decided that it didn't matter and the only thing that matter was that they kill this intruder for being daring to approach their nest. They ran towards it, spear ready in their hands. When they were close enough, they jumped, intending to impale the intruder.

When the goblins jumped, Good Hunter's cane transformed, now having a serrated edge. She swung it towards the goblins with the cane acting more like chain rather than solid stick. The goblins were turned into chunks of meat as Good Hunter continued her advance towards the nest.

When she entered the nest and saw a shaman post, Good Hunter kicked it, causing it to break apart. She saw that the path became two and decided to enter one of them. Good Hunter walked several minutes before slowing her pace and listened to her surroundings. As expected, there were some creatures that approached her from the rear. Most likely goblins.

Good Hunter immediately turned around and drew her firearm. Just as expected, there were goblins behind her, who were shocked that they were discovered. Most people won't hear them before it's too late. But Good Hunter was not "most people."

She pulled the trigger, sending the bullet through several heads of goblins, killing them. Those who survived charged at her, screaming as they ran. Good Hunter transformed her cane back and used it to kill the goblins. She hit many of them in the heads. Sometimes, she plunged the cane into the goblins' chests. One of them managed to climb up into her but Good Hunter immediately grabbed his head and made it kiss the wall very hard to the point of leaving a mark.

Even her kicks and fists were deadly. The latter was strong enough to penetrate into the goblins' hearts and the former if not lethal at least caused them to be incapacitated. She moved with speed and agility that should've been impossible for someone like her. But as they said, appearance can be deceiving.

Seeing their "brothers" kept getting killed no matter what they do, the remaining goblins decided to retreat deeper into the nest. After killing her last attacker, Good Hunter followed them by walking. However, she stopped when she noticed that one of the goblins was still breathing. Incapacitated but alive nonetheless.

She picked the goblin up by his throat, careful not to crush it. Good Hunter stared right at the eyes of the goblin. She then touched the goblin's face with her free hand, feeling its texture…

…before immediately took out one of his eyes. As the goblin screamed, she went towards his mouth and picked his teeth one by one. When he closed his mouth and almost bite her hand, Good Hunter took out his other eye. Once again screaming, she picked the goblin's remaining teeth before finally crushing his throat.

Good Hunter let the body fell to the cave floor. She then squished the head under her boot before continuing.

"Hmph…goblins…"

* * *

The goblins that managed to escape from Good Hunter return back to where the rest of their kin were. They passed through several confused goblins, who were awakened by the fight. The goblins approached the shaman, who intended to demand an explanation for his interrupted sleep.

The goblins approached him and were just about to explain the shaman on the current situation…

…when the head of the only goblin that knew magic in the nest exploded. The goblins that still asleep were immediately awakened and they looked towards the source of the sound. It was Good Hunter, her left hand holding the firearm. Soon, the goblins began to run towards her.

The Adventurer transformed her cane and swung it around. Many goblins got caught by the whip, getting cut to pieces in the process. The few who survived were too wounded to be a threat. The even fewer who managed to pass the whip have their faces met a boot.

The goblins began to run away. But since the only way out was in the direction of Good Hunter, they simply ran towards the wall until they can't run anymore. While most of the goblins did that, a hobgoblin finally decided to enter the fray. Good Hunter looked at him as she transformed her cane back into a solid stick.

The hobgoblin charged towards Good Hunter, who merely drew her firearm once again. When he was close enough, she fired the gun, staggering the big goblin. Then, she dropped her cane and ran towards him. Good Hunter embedded her free hand right into the chest of the hobgoblin. As he puked blood, she tried to find the heart. Once she did, Good Hunter took it out from the chest, causing the hobgoblin to collapse unto the floor.

After the biggest threat was taken care of, Good Hunter walked towards the remaining goblins and drew her katana. What followed was something that can only be described of massacre and bloodbath. When she beheaded the last goblin, Good Hunter was covered in blood from head to toe. Yet none of that seemed to disturb her.

Seeing that this nest didn't have any woman, she was just about to leave when she heard something. Good Hunter looked around before setting her eyes on the bone throne of goblin shaman. She kicked it away, revealing a hidden door. Good Hunter opened it and came face-to-face with several goblin children, who were huddling together in fear.

"Aww, poor little goblins…" Good Hunter said. Her voice lacking any empathy and as cold as ice. "Maybe you should consider not being born as ones. Give it a try in your next lives…well, if you receive one, that is."

Good Hunter closed the door back. She walked towards the corpse of the hobgoblin and moved it towards the door. She then used the corpse to block the door. Whether they died because of running out of the air, water, or food, she didn't care much. All that Good Hunter care was that a quick death was not what they were going to receive.

* * *

"It's done."

Guild Girl looked away from her papers and almost thought that it was him who approached her. Turns out, it was Good Hunter, no longer having her cane and was covered from head to toe in blood.

Combined with her tone and Good Hunter could easily pass as the female counterpart of Goblin Slayer.

"I see. Good job then." Guild Girl said before giving the reward; a small pouch filled with copper coins. "Thank you for your effort!"

Good Hunter took the pouch and offhandedly threw it into her back. Guild Girl was about to ask the reason when she noticed that she didn't hear the pouch landing. She looked at where it was supposed to land and found no trace of it.

" _Wha…what had just happened?_ " Guild Girl thought.

"No more quest, huh?" Good Hunter commented as she looked towards the board, which was empty.

"We're about to close the Guild, mi…Good Hunter. You can accept a quest when morning comes."

The new Adventurer silently nodded in response. She then walked towards the door and exited the Guild. Outside, she looked at the moons in the sky and made a gesture of reaching them.

"I guess at least none of you are red…" Good Hunter commented as she lowered her hand.

She looked at the ground and saw several creatures emerged. Had any other person see them, they would scream in terror and trying to kill them. But Good Hunter knew them well. Despite their appearance, they were more like little children.

As they moaned and offered Good Hunter her cane and pouch, she crouched and looked at them fondly. They were a few things that could make her feel better.

"Keep them for me for a while, could you?" She asked as she patted one of them.

The little creatures moaned happily as they returned back to the ground, leaving no trace of ever being there. Good Hunter stood up and walked into an alley. In there, the creatures emerged once again, this time with a purple lantern. She touched the lantern and disappeared from the alley, soon followed by the creatures and lantern.

* * *

 **And this chapter is now done.**

 **I admit I was confused on whether to write a crossover with** _ **Dark Souls**_ **or** _ **Bloodborne**_ **. I decided on the latter since Goblin Slayer's equipment makes him look like a knight, just like the PCs of** _ **Dark Souls**_ **. Thus, the Good Hunter is chosen to become Goblin Slayer's foil.**

 **Well, more or less.**

 **If you have a question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review, please!**


	2. Old Fury Controlled

**Old Fury Controlled**

The morning had come to the East Guild Town. The staffs of the Guild were preparing the places for the Adventurers that already filled the room. All of them were waiting for the opportunity to nab the quests with high reward.

Except for one. But that was normal for him and others, so nobody paid any attention about that.

Two hours have passed and things were beginning to calm down. Most of the Adventurers had gone on to finish their quests and Guild Girl had given Goblin Slayer his usual. The ones who remained were the staffs of the Guild and the Adventurers that took the easy quests, like rat hunting, and thus could come back shortly after they departed.

When she heard that someone entered the building, Guild Girl decided to look towards the door. It was Good Hunter, covered in blood from head to toe. Considering she has no problem walking, it was likely that none of the blood was her. She went towards the quest board. After finding the quest that she wanted, Good Hunter took the paper with her to Guild Girl.

"Good morning, Good Hunter." Guild Girl greeted the Adventurer. "Do you want to accept this quest?"

She said nothing in return, merely taking something from her pocket. It was a small leather bag. Guild Girl opened it and looked at the content inside. There were feathers. Lots of them. She looked back at the paper that Good Hunter brought and connected the dots.

"You already hunted it, huh?" Guild Girl stated and the Adventurer nodded in response. "Wait for a minute, please."

Guild Girl went back to get the reward for the quest. When she returned, she noticed that Good Hunter already had two quest papers, each one in her hands. She only noticed the staff when Guild Girl put the reward in front of her.

"Here you go. Thanks for your effort!" Good Hunter accepted the reward. As she did that, Guild Girl looked at the papers in her hands. "Goblin slaying quests, huh?"

"I want them." The Adventurer simply replied.

"Them? I will not suggest that. A goblin slaying quest can be…"

"Stamina is not a problem."

Seeing that any attempt of discouraging her would be futile, Guild Girl merely sighed and let Good Hunter accepted them both at the same time. As she began to depart, Guild Girl couldn't help but felt familiar with the papers. Acting on her guts, she opened the drawer where she usually put the goblin-related quests for Goblin Slayer.

Just as she thought, those papers were supposed to be inside. Yet Good Hunter somehow got them from a place impossible to reach from her position.

Guild Girl scratched her head in confusion. There was something about Good Hunter that just didn't make sense. How did knew how to finished two quests before accepting them? Where did the rewards that she took went to? And just recently, how she got her hands on the papers?

She could only wish that whatever it was, it wouldn't bring any trouble to the town.

* * *

"Jeez, seriously, Orcbolg?" High Elf Archer complained as she sighing. "I am pretty sure I told you that no poison, no fire, no explosion, no…"

"I know." Goblin Slayer replied, cutting High Elf Archer's words. "Just a precaution."

High Elf Archer could not exactly retort that. She simply cursed in her native language before giving Goblin Slayer his bag back. Meanwhile, Dwarf Shaman simply looked at the event in amusement while Lizard Priest was melting the cheese using the bonfire.

Suddenly, they heard Priestess screaming. The four of them immediately stood up and went towards her location. When they were there, they saw Priestess on the ground, seemed to be had just fell and was now trying to control her breath.

"Oy, what's wrong?" High Elf Archer asked.

"Huh?" Priestess turned around and looked at her companions. "Oh, it's…nothing. Just surprised by what I see."

She pointed at what made her surprised. Goblin Slayer walked closer to the location, a river. When he was close enough, he could see what appeared to be something with green skin being stuck on the rocks. He approached it carefully, sword ready to stab in case of threat approaching.

* * *

Goblin Slayer tossed it to the ground, letting the rest of the group to see what it was. It was a goblin child and from the condition of the body, it was clear that the creature died from malnutrition.

"What's a goblin child doing here?" High Elf Archer asked as she poked it with her arrow.

"Must be an Adventurer that wasn't through enough." Goblin Slayer stated. "They either spare the children or don't find them. Not uncommon."

"So, this goblin child somehow survived the purge of his nest but was unable to find another nest to take shelter with and thus died of starvation?" Dwarf Shaman deduced as he put his hand on his beard.

Goblin Slayer inspected the corpse for a while before shaking his head.

"No. This goblin child's hands are covered in dirt." Goblin Slayer said as he showed the hand. "Also, it seems that he had died at least yesterday."

"So, what does that mean?" Priestess asked.

"Most likely, someone decided to give the goblin children a slow death." He answered before putting his hand on his chin, well, the part of the helmet that covered his chin.

The only reason someone would do this was that of anger. A desire for revenge. It didn't surprise Goblin Slayer that there would be some who like him; those who lost loved ones to the goblins and seek revenge against them. Most of them however either killed in their journeys or stopping after believing that they have spilled enough goblin's blood.

He hoped that he could meet whoever did this. There were few tips that he could give. One more slayer of goblins was always welcomed.

* * *

The goblin tried to prevent the blood from spilling from his neck. Alas, Good Hunter decapitated him, rendering his attempt useless. She looked around and saw nothing but dead goblins. Sighing, she began to search for more goblins.

Not even a minute later and she had found another goblin. This one was wounded on his knee and was unable to runaway alongside his kin. Good Hunter immediately grabbed him by the throat and raised him. The goblin was trying to escape yet she did nothing except seemed to be trying to hold something.

Suddenly, she smashed the little monster to the ground before stepping on his head, squishing it like a grape. She stepped on it several more, her breath starting to get out of control.

"Calm down…calm down…" Good Hunter said as she grabbed her head. "Don't…let it…consume you…"

After a while, she was starting to calm down. She let out a breath, counted to three, and then let out another one. Finally, she managed to calm down and continued her search.

* * *

"It's done."

"Another nest exterminated, I see?" Guild Girl stated with Goblin Slayer merely nodding his head. "Speaking of which, where's the rest of your team?"

"They are currently taking a rest."

"I see. Here's your reward, then! Thank you for your effort!"

When he accepted the reward, she remembered that there was something that she wanted to ask him.

"Say, do you know a brunette woman with braided hair around your age?" She asked, receiving the attention of Goblin Slayer. "Ah, sorry for asking. It just that, there's a new Adventurer that's kind of like you. Being rather…awkward in social interaction."

Goblin Slayer tried to remember about every brunette woman that he ever encountered. The braided part wasn't important since people could decide to just change their hairstyle for a lot of reason. He knew several but many of them would be too old to be Adventurer.

"Any other clue?" Goblin Slayer asked.

"That's right. Her skills would be somewhere around ruby to silver. If she shows that she could be trusted and not causing a problem for the public, she would be able to raise the rank quickly." Guild Girl explained.

"Then no."

"I guess I shouldn't judge people's relationship simply from their personality."

"I see." Both of them stay silent for a while before he broke it. "Is there another goblin slaying quest?"

"Of course. Just let me take it."

With that, Guild Girl went to pick the quest as Goblin Slayer waited for her to return.

* * *

Things had gone very wrong for the goblins. They had just recently returned from raiding a village. Their spoils were enormous; fat cattle and fine grain for food, brand new metal weapons and armors, and most importantly, the young beautiful women of the village.

They had just arrived in their nest when an Adventurer out of nowhere landed on their boss, a Goblin Champion. It then used a sword and stabbed the Champion in his right eye, causing him to go on a rampage. In the ensuing chaos, many goblins got killed by the Champion's attack and the Adventurer pulled the women to a safe place.

After a few minutes, the Goblin Champion managed to calm down. Good Hunter exploited this opportunity. She attached her sword to the sheath, which was a giant hammer. She dashed towards the Champion and used the sword-turned-giant hammer to break one of his legs. As he screamed in pain, Good Hunter detached the sword and rushed towards the terrified goblins.

The goblins stood no chance against her. Those with slings and bows tried to kill her from the distance but she managed to avoid their shots and sometimes even parrying them. After killing the goblins near her, Good Hunter went towards the goblin slingers and archers. When she was close enough, she killed one with a throwing knife and another one with her firearm. As for the rest…

…Good Hunter attached her sword to the hammer and smashed a goblin slinger before taking out the rest.

While that happened, the Goblin Champion tried to catch up with her. However, his broken leg and his inability to not grunting in pain caused Good Hunter to be able to predict his location and be able to move away before he could catch up.

With the rest of the goblins killed, Good Hunter focused on the leader of the pack. She ran towards the Champion and rolled to avoid his attack. She then broke his other leg, forcing the Champion to kneel. Good Hunter jumped and, when reaching the sufficient height, smashed the giant hammer into the Goblin Champion's head. He fell to the ground and she kept pounding on his head, just to be sure, until it could no longer be recognized as a head.

Seeing that he was now dead, Good Hunter looked around for the place where the goblins put their children. Along the way, she sometimes hit the ground with her hammer and tried to control her breath. When she found it, she immediately kicked the door off its hinges and threw in a Molotov cocktail. She turned around as the goblin children screamed at their death.

Good Hunter reached the safe place where the women that the goblins captured were. They were still afraid by their experiences but many were also glad that it was over. She was…nervous, to say the least. Good Hunter didn't have much experience in taking care of the survivors of her hunts. For now, all she could think to do was gesturing at the dead goblins, signaling that the situation was fine. No danger in sight.

One of the women looked at the scene of slaughter. After a while, she turned her head towards Good Hunter. Suddenly, she enveloped the Adventurer in a hug. The latter's eyes became wide, unexpecting such an action. She hesitated for a while before returning the hug from the crying survivor.

* * *

She kept them accompanied until they reached the institution where goblin survivors were taken care of. As she watched them being escorted by the caretakers, Good Hunter smiled and walked towards the horizon.

It felt good to be finally able to save someone.

* * *

 **Well, I feel quite excited about this story and have a lot of steam. Thus, I can complete another chapter now!**

 **For the reviewers with questions, I am sorry to say but the answers to your questions would be spoiling the story. But don't worry, I will reveal the answers when the time comes.**

 **If you have a question or suggestion, feel free to tell me!**

 **Review, please!**


	3. Aristocratic Adventurer

**Aristocratic Adventurer**

It was a normal day in the Guild. Adventurers coming to accept a quest or two. Guild staffs taking care of the bureaucracy. People coming to make a request for Adventurers to deal with their problems. Returning Adventurers relaxing on the tavern part of the Guild.

Guild Girl had just taken a request from a villager when Good Hunter suddenly showed up in front of her. She managed to only let out a squeak and not throwing her quill at the Adventurer. After taking several breaths to calm herself, Guild Girl could now focus on doing her job.

"Ah, welcome back, Good Hunter. Is there something that I can help you with?" She asked.

Without making a lot of noise, Good Hunter took a small pouch from her pocket and poured out the content on the table. Guild Girl examined the content, which was fragments of gold. She gave a sign to the two other staffs besides her to look at them. They look at them closely before nodding at each other. They agreed on the answer; it was an Adventurer tag. Of a gold-ranked one, no less.

"Where did you find this?" Guild Girl asked as she tried to merge the pieces.

"Manticore's nest." Good Hunter answered. "There's nothing remain that can be buried."

"Manticore? I guess that makes sense." Guild Girl stated as she put her hand on her chin. "Thank you for returning the tag to us. There will be a reward for doing so."

Good Hunter nodded in return and walked towards the quest board. After a while, she returned with a paper and gave it to Guild Girl. She read it and then sighed upon finding out what the quest was about.

"Usually, I would be very against sending a porcelain-ranked Adventurer against a dragon, even a juvenile one." She stated before looking at Good Hunter. "But since it's you that we're talking about…"

"I will be back." Good Hunter stated as she turned around.

"Ah, before you go…" Guild Girl's words caused her to looked back at her. "Do you have free time this week? The Guild wishes to do some interview about you."

"Either after I return or tomorrow." She immediately answered.

"That's good. See you soon, then."

Good Hunter merely tipped her tricorne in return before exiting the Guild. Guild Girl put the fragments back into the pouch and gave it her coworker so that it could be reassembled. Hopefully, they could find out the identity of the Adventurer and informed their closest kin. If they have one, that is.

Guild Girl was just about to return to her previous work when a familiar step alerted her. She looked from the papers and saw Goblin Slayer approaching her. She prepared a smile as her hand went towards the goblin-slaying quest paper.

"Is it a goblin slaying quest?" Goblin Slayer immediately asked.

"Of course. Here it is!" Guild Girl gave him the paper, which he immediately accepted. "You seem to be in a hurry."

"Just being…restless, that is all." He explained. "Speaking of which, there seems to be fewer quest than usual."

"Yup. You're not the only one who regularly take goblin slaying quest anymore." She happily explained the reason. "Remember the brunette that I talked about? Well, she does take quests other than goblins, but she still accepts more goblin slaying quest compared to others with the exception of you."

"I see." He simply nodded. "You seem happy."

"Of course. Isn't it good that another person realizes the dangers that goblins posses and decide to do something about it? Not unlike you?"

"Yes…yes, it is."

* * *

Good Hunter looked at the place that the dragon that she hunted used as its nest. An abandoned fortress of the dwarfs, build into the mountain. One thing that the dwarfs are very famous for is their skills in turning an impregnable mountain into an impregnable fortress.

Of course, the "impregnable" part was debatable since this fortress was taken from the dwarfs by an ancient, much stronger dragon which now lied six feet under. It was also not the first, nor would be the last, fortress that the dwarfs would loose in the history of their race.

She silently entered the fortress, keeping her eyes peeled on the slightest of movement. Her ears picking up the sounds of coins hitting each other. She went towards the source of the sounds. After traveling through the empty hallways, she managed to locate the dragon, currently sleeping on top of a hoard of gold coins.

Nobody knows why dragons love to hoard treasures. They basically have no use of the treasures that they hoard. Any need that most creatures fulfilled through money, dragons need no money to fulfill them. There was a theory that it might be the spiritual value in gold and other precious metals and stones that made dragons attracted to them.

In any case, it mattered not for Good Hunter. She had fought beings more powerful, more terrifying than a simple juvenile dragon. It would simply another being added to her long list of those she hunted.

Slowly, she approached the sleeping beast, hands holding a great sword. She went towards the tail, a body part that was very important for a dragon. It was the part that controls the stability of the dragon's movement, especially when flying. Losing a tail and call it an unfortunate event would be an understatement.

Once she was close, Good Hunter raised her greatsword as high as she could. Gathering all the strength that she could, she looked at the dragon's eyes, who were on the verge of opening up. Apparently, it noticed that someone was coming close to it. Wasting no time, the great sword descended.

The dragon's eyes opened with such a speed that it was a miracle that its eyelids remained intact. It flew away from Good Hunter as it roared in pain. However, the loss of its tail had made it unable to fly properly. It hit the ceiling and fell down to the hoard coins.

Good Hunter dashed towards the downed dragon and aimed for the head. It immediately retracted its head and flew away. Despite no longer being able to fly properly, it could still fly nonetheless. And it had no intention of throwing even the tiniest amount of advantage.

It flew around for a while, trying to get used of not having its tail, before unleashing a long stream of fire from its mouth. Good Hunter immediately dodged the fire. Even with a weapon as heavy as a great sword in hands, she was able to be as agile as if she was holding a one-handed sword.

The fire hit only the gold coins. It was hot enough that they were on the verge of melting. Good Hunter drew her pistol and shot at the direction of the dragon. While it didn't hit it, the dragon roared and swooped at her, intending to bite the Adventurer.

The loss of its tail still impacted the dragon. It descended too soon and crashed into the hoard, making it missed its target and giving an opening for Good Hunter to dashed towards a place too cramped for the dragon to follow. It also fell on the scorching gold coins, though it had no effect except with some coins sticking into its scales.

While it was distracted, Good Hunter threw a bottle full of blood towards the opposite direction of where she was running to. When the dragon recovered from the crash, it tried to find the Adventurer and when it saw not even a hair of her, it smelled the air. When it smelled the pungent blood, the dragon immediately unleashed its fire towards the blood before swooping in.

As the dragon was distracted, Good Hunter managed to reach higher ground. She looked below, finding the dragon still distracted by the blood. But she knew it wouldn't last for long. Without a hint of fear, she dropped into the dragon, greatsword ready to be planted.

The dragon once again roared in pain as the great sword penetrated its scales and embedded deep into its back. It flew around wildly and chaotically, trying to get rid of the offending object. Good Hunter grabbed the sword tightly to prevent herself from being thrown off the back of the dragon.

When it calmed down, albeit just a little, Good Hunter pulled the sword from the dragon's back. However, instead of being pulled out of the back, the greatsword remained. At least, just the blade part. It was revealed that there was another blade inside the blade, meaning that the blade of the great sword was also a "sheath" for the smaller sword.

Good Hunter grabbed the wing near where it and the back met. She stabbed her now one-handed sword into said wing before letting herself fell while still holding the sword, tearing one of the wings.

With one of its wings now damaged, the dragon crashed once again. Good Hunter landed not too far away from it. Despite the height, she showed no pain and recovered in a matter of second and ran towards the beast. Seeing the incoming Adventurer, the dragon unleashed its fire towards her to no avail.

When she was close, Good Hunter fired her pistol once again. This time, it hit near the eye, causing the dragon to lose its composure and closed its eyes. She exploited the opportunity and went towards its belly and stabbed there.

The dragon grew even angrier but it also grew even weaker with each wound. The streams of fire that it let out were weaker and less precise with one even hitting one of its feet. It was no longer a beast trying to exterminate an intruder but a desperate creature trying its best to survive.

Good Hunter avoided any attack that the dragon unleashed. She went towards its head. The beast noticed it and tried to move away from her but the Adventurer was faster. She leaped towards its neck and stabbed it. The dragon roared but she was not done yet. She slashed and kept slashing the neck until the head and the body was separated.

Upon confirming the dragon's death, Good Hunter rubbed her back as she slowly lost her balance. One of the attacks actually hit her and created a big, deep wound on her back. Her hand went into her pocket and took out a vial filled with blood. Without waiting any longer, she injected its content into her right thigh. After a while, she rubbed the same spot and found out that the wound was already healed, leaving no trace of it.

"You're a tough creature, I give you that." Good Hunter stated as she looked at the corpse of the dragon. "But no matter how many fights that you won, I only need to do it once."

After saying that, Good Hunter retrieved the blade of the great sword and took some of the dragon's scales before walking towards the exit, leaving the corpse and the hoard of treasure in the hands of fate.

* * *

"So, all I need to do is to judge whether this Adventurer is worthy of receiving a promotion. Is that correct?"

"That's right. Please give us your honest opinion! Worry not for it will not affect you in any way."

"Of course. I will do my best."

Inside the office, Guild Girl, Inspector, and Female Knight were preparing for the interview of Good Hunter. Currently, said Adventurer was sitting right outside the office, ready to be summoned at any moment.

"So, who is the Adventurer that we're about to interview?" Female Knight asked.

"Don't you read the record about her?" Guild Girl asked.

"I did. But it doesn't explain who she is as a person. Merely the general information."

"If you ask me, why don't we see it ourselves?" Inspector suggested. "I am sure she has been waiting for quite a long time."

"Ah, that's right." Guild Girl tidied up her desk before finally giving the summon. "You may enter the room!"

When she entered the room, Guild Girl noticed that Good Hunter was wearing a different outfit. While they look more or less the same, it was clear that the one Good Hunter wore today was obviously meant to be worn by an aristocrat.

Compared to her usual outfit, which can be described as a working-class outfit that resembled high-class outfit, this outfit was more decorated. Golden embroidery along the edges of the garb, a pure white cravat with a large gemstone brooch, a cape on her left side with chains that hold it in place, and feathers donned on her tricorne.

"Greetings." Good Hunter gave a simple greet along with a gesture.

"Greetings to you as well, Good Hunter. Please, have a seat." Guild Girl replied, feeling stunned by her new appearance.

Good Hunter took a seat and removed her cap, placing it on her lap. That, plus the fact that she was not wearing a mask, gave the people in the room a clear view on the face of the Adventurer. Her brown hair was well-kept with a single braid on the back, brown eyes with a shade that matched her hair, and was younger than expected, being in her late teen to early 20s. Good Hunter was indeed a beautiful woman, yet her eyes didn't indicate that. In fact, they were dull and lacked the light that women usually have.

Female Knight frowned when she noticed that. She had seen them in the eyes of Adventurers that have, as others put it, seen too much.

"Let us start the interview." Guild Girl declared. "First off, that's a nice outfit that you have there."

"Thank you." Good Hunter replied, apparently being sincere about it.

"May I know why you wear a different outfit than usual?"

"The interview. I believe it will be…polite to wear an outfit more appropriate for a meeting."

Guild Girl gave a glance at Inspector, who noticed it. The latter nodded in response. No sign of lie so far. She didn't need to ask how Good Hunter acquired such an outfit. If she didn't possess it before, then the amount of reward she got ever since joining the Guild was enough to buy one.

Speaking of which…

"Do you have experience before joining the Guild?" Guild Girl asked.

"Yes."

"Can you tell us at least a bit of your experience? Like how you're capable of defeating creatures too dangerous for porcelain-ranked Adventurers?"

"I hunted creatures as big as them and also as dangerous." Good Hunter put her hand on her chin. "Not exactly sure what kind of species they were. I asked my mentor but he's not the sanest person in the world."

Once again, Guild Girl gave a glance at Inspector, who still nodded.

"Can you tell us about your mentor?" Female Knight asked.

"I can, but I don't think it will mean much. He's not well-known in this region and he has basically retired from slaying beast for decades. He's now an old man in a wheelchair."

"Any description that you could give to us?"

"He has a peg leg and using a scythe."

"You're right, it doesn't mean much."

Female Knight never heard of an Adventurer that used a scythe. She looked at Guild Girl and Inspector, seeing them trying to figure out a person matching that description before shaking their heads. Basically, Good Hunter's mentor could be someone that was good at hunting dangerous creatures that didn't join the Guild. And if they were, the mentor didn't rise into prominence.

"Alright, next question." Guild Girl stated. "We have interviewed several Adventurers that you have interacted with. Many of their descriptions about you can be summarized as 'decent if reserved.' However, there are many…less-than-positive remark from the Elf Adventurers. Do you know anything about that?"

"I don't know. I don't know much about the elves, so I might accidentally insult them." Good Hunter replied as she shook her head.

"That's possible." Guild Girl said as she noted it down. "Alright, the next question is about…"

The interview continued for the next quarter of an hour before reaching its end.

* * *

With Good Hunter no longer in the room, Guild Girl decided that it was the time to review the result of the interview.

"So, what do you think about her?" She asked. "Do you think she deserved her promotion?"

"First, I must say, it's impressive that she will be promoted into sapphire. That's a pretty big leap." Female Knight commented.

"Upon seeing her records, our superior suggests that. Saying that Adventurer as good as her should not be disallowed to hunt dangerous creatures." Guild Girl explained. "As such, we only need to know whether she could be trusted with such a rank."

"Well, I believe that you get yourself a female Goblin Slayer." Female Knight stated. "Really, hearing her talk reminds me about him. So, she will only be as problematic as him."

Guild Girl awkwardly laughed upon hearing that. Despite being more accepted by other Adventurers, Goblin Slayer still invited quite a lot of exasperation. Mostly due to his rather lacking communication skill.

"Hmm…" Inspector thought deeply about her opinion with her hand on her chin. "She doesn't lie…but, I am not exactly sure how trustable she is."

"Don't you said she doesn't lie in the same sentence?" Female Knight stated, confused.

"Indeed. However, there are two types of…'liars' that can bypass 'Detect Lie;' those who tell half-truth and those who believe their own lies. There's also the fact that truth can be subjective." Inspector tilted her head. "I have heard a case of someone insisting that a yellow flower is pink, despite everyone else saying that it's yellow. As it turns out, he sees color differently than normal people. If someone uses Detect Lie on him, his statement won't be considered a lie since it's not a lie at all. He simply sees thing differently."

"So, she has something that she keeps a secret?" Guild Girl said, reminded about the strange things surrounding Good Hunter.

"Very likely. So far, she doesn't show any sign of being malicious." Inspector thought about it for a while before giving her opinion. "I have no problem with the promotion. However, we better keep an eye on her."

Guild Girl nodded her head and started to think about her own opinion. So far, Good Hunter had two somewhat positive opinions about her. It was now her turn to decide whether she was worthy of being promoted.

The decision had been made.

* * *

In the tavern side of the Guild, Good Hunter was sitting alone with a jug of ale on her table. In her hand was her new sapphire tag, indicating that she was now a sapphire-ranked Adventurer, thus can now accept more rewarding but also more dangerous quest (something that she has been doing as porcelain, to be honest). It also came with more responsibility in that her action better not taint the reputation of the Guild.

She wondered how long she could uphold that.

"Here you go!" Good Hunter stopped her thought and returned to reality. It was Padfoot Waitress who told her that.

"Thank you." She replied as she pulled a bowl of chicken stew closer to her.

"I have to admit, when you came, I was rather nervous about the standard of our food." Padfoot Waitress stated, referring to Good Hunter's aristocratic outfit. "I didn't expect you to order simple things like stew and ale."

"Sometimes, we take pleasure from the simple things." Good Hunter replied before eating a spoonful of stew. "Especially after being deprived of them for a long time."

Padfoot Waitress was about to ask what she meant when she heard another customer calling for her. After saying sorry that she couldn't accompany her any longer, the waitress left Good Hunter with her meal. She took another spoonful of stew before looking at the bowl.

"Indeed. It has been a long time." She stated as she took a sip of her ale. "I no longer remember how to make one. He will be sad, I am sure of it."

* * *

 **The answer to a review:**

 **Tobi-Douchebag-666:** In a _Bloodborne_ comic, the reviving mechanism is depicted as some sort of minor time travel and an alternate timeline. When you died, you're revived sometime in the past, which is why you have to fight previous enemies since you technically haven't killed them yet. You, however, do die since there's a sign of that, like the bloodstain that you have to touch to take back Blood Echoes. Then there are some enemies that won't return, like enemy hunters.

It's complicated, to say the least.

As for cross-training between Goblin Slayer and Good Hunter, it's kind of hard to do. The latter's methods often involve having superhuman strength, stamina, and durability. Something that Goblin Slayer lacks. As for the former, his tactics would be considered a waste of time if used by Good Hunter since she's the type that can shrug off even fatal wound.

* * *

 **And another chapter is complete.**

 **Also, if you're wondering, Good Hunter wears Maria Hunter Set for the interview.**

 **If you have a question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review, please!**


	4. An Unseen Threat

**An Unseen Threat**

 _It felt very heavy at first. So heavy that she almost decided to give up and went back to sleep. However, she kept forcing her eyes to open and in the end, she succeeded. She looked around, not seeing anything familiar about the room._

 _She sat up from the bed, still trying to find anything familiar. She took several steps away from the bed and went towards the door. She pushed the door open and walked through the hallway. Along the way, she was thinking about where she wanted to go._

" _I need to…why am I…where is…" She murmured those words. "Outside first…yeah…sounds good…_

 _As she walked through the hallway, she couldn't help but feel nervous. There was no sign of anyone else in the building and there was a strange smell in the air. Despite that, she knew that the smell didn't indicate anything good._

 _When she went inside a room, the first thing that she noticed was a large number of beds. The way they were organized reminded her about a place where sick people were being put. What was the name of the place? Hospital? Clinic?_

 _What did she think about that?_

 _Shaking her head, she realized that there was another thing inside the room. Something that she should have noticed sooner. It was…_

… _a big wolf currently chewing a corpse of a human._

 _She closed her mouth with her hands, trying not to scream at the sight. It was a really big wolf. Bigger than any wolf that she had ever seen. She looked around, trying to find a way to get away from the creature._

 _However, in the midst of that, she took her eyes away from the big wolf. It had stopped chewing on its food, sniffing the air, and finally looking at the only other living, breathing creature inside the room. It wasted no time and lunged towards her._

 _The last thing that she saw was the jaw of the wolf coming to her face._

* * *

Good Hunter opened her eyes before sitting up. She took several breathes before closing her eyes for a while. She looked around the place of where she was taking a nap. The tree, the white flowers, and the eternal moon were just like how they were. No single change happened when she was sleeping.

"Good Hunter." A voice called for her, causing the adventurer to looked at the caller.

"Ah, it's you again." Good Hunter greeted the caller with a warm voice as if speaking with an old friend.

The caller was a woman with silver hair and eyes. Her dress, along with the bonnet, made her looked like the doll that little girls liked to play with. The joints in her hands looked like doll's as well.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked Good Hunter.

"Nothing, Doll. Just remembering the past." She replied as she put back her tricorne and mask. "Speaking of which, how is he?"

"He's currently suffering no nightmare and is having a calm sleep." Doll answered the question.

"I see. That's good to hear." Good Hunter dropped her head after saying that. "I guess that's the best thing that we can hope for him."

"Do not despair, Good Hunter." Doll tried to cheer her up. "Gehrman has made his choice a long time ago. A choice that he doesn't like but never regret."

Good Hunter didn't reply in return. She merely looked at Doll with a melancholy look before walking towards the graveyard. The latter gave a look at the former before kneeling on the ground and closed her hands, praying for the sake of the hunter.

"O Flora…O little ones…"

* * *

In the tavern side of the Guild, Good Hunter was looking at the many adventurers that swarm around the quest board. As she waited for them to disperse, she decided to order some ale. It took several minutes for the adventurers to be dwindling. She waited several more minutes and now the board was desolated.

" _Desolated. Of all word that I used…_ " Good Hunter thought before she finished her ale.

As she did so, however, she saw Guild Girl approaching the board. In her hand was a paper, likely a quest that for some reason she decided not to put earlier. She pinned the paper on the board before returning to her desk.

Upon seeing that, Good Hunter grew curious. She went towards the board and looked at the quest written on it. It was a gold-ranked quest about inspecting an ancient ruin. She noticed something about the paper; there were signs that the paper was crumpled. She decided to take it.

"Ah, Good Hunter!" Guild Girl greeted the adventurer. "What can I help you with?"

She gave her the paper. Upon seeing it, Guild Girl frowned but said nothing about it. Sensing her turmoil, Good Hunter grew even more curious and decided to ask about it.

"That quest…why do you pinned it much later compared to others?" She asked.

"I was hoping that they would return if I wait a bit longer." The staff of the Guild replied before sighing. "I guess they meet the same fate as others."

"Mind explaining further."

"Certainly." Guild Girl's expression became more serious. "We received this quest several months ago. At first, we gave it an emerald rank. A few days later, a team of four emerald-ranked adventurers accepted it…and things went downhill from there."

"Let me guess, the difficulty was increased more and more as more adventurers didn't return from this quest." Good Hunter put her hand on her chin.

"Correct. So far, four emerald, three bronze, and three silver-ranked adventurers have gone missing after taking this quest." She gave the adventurer a hopeful look. "I hope you can find out what happened to them and put an end to it."

"I will do my best." The hunter replied before walking towards the exit.

"Wait, I almost forgot!" Guild Girl exclaimed suddenly, causing her to stopped midway. "There's a goblin nest near the ruin. Can you deal with it along the way?"

She gave her the paper about the goblin-slaying quest. Good Hunter went back to the receptionist and accepted the paper. She then walked back towards the door and exited the building, leaving the staffs and other adventurers inside.

* * *

At the forest near the border of the lands of the Elf, High Elf Archer was observing the surrounding from one of the branches. Seeing that she couldn't get a clear sight, she went down towards the ground, regrouping with Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest.

"From your face, I can guess that you don't see them." The dwarf stated as he stroked his beard.

"Nope. Not even a tip of their ear." The elf replied as she sighed. "Damn it, what are those idiots thinking?"

"It's not like they have any choice." The lizard stated as he made his signature sign. "Considering they've gone rogue, they no longer have access to the supplies."

"Well, they could prevent that by not going rogue in the first place!"

The reason why the three silver-ranked adventurers were in the forest was due to their quest; one personally given by High Elf Archer's sister. According to a letter from her, several elven soldiers have gone rogue and causing problems along the border. Fortunately, the problems only happened in the elven side of the border but that wouldn't last long. Thus, they've been ordered to find the deserters as they were closer than the nearest elven outpost.

"Well, considering how long we have been searching for them, at least by now reinforcement is only a few miles from here." Dwarf Shaman said.

"Still, why they decided to gone rogue?" High Elf Archer wondered. "According to her, there's basically no prior warning of this. No complaint, no sign of dissatisfaction, nothing. It's as if they just woke up one day and thought 'hey, deserting sounds like a good idea.'"

"Could they be under some kind of thrall?" Lizard Priest suggested. "I have heard some dark magic being capable of making one's will under another's."

"Very unlikely. Elves by nature have high resistance against dark magic. So, if someone did what you suggest, then my sister would mention it in her letter since the nearby elves would notice it." High Elf Archer replied.

"Huh, so any idea what caused your kin to act like this, long-ear?" Dwarf Shaman asked.

"Not really." She shook her head. "However, I am pretty sure they themselves will shed the light on their motive."

* * *

Taking care of the goblin nest was not something difficult. Lady Luck was on her side when that happened. She arrived right when the goblins were evacuating from their nest. She didn't know nor care for the reason. All that she knew was that they were in the open, becoming a lot more vulnerable compared to when they were in their nest.

What followed could only be described as a slaughter fest started by a cannon shot.

With the goblin parts scattered through the mouth of their former nest, Good Hunter wasted no time and went towards the ancient ruin. She only needed to arrive at the entrance to confirmed Guild Girl's worst fear. Sitting near it was a rhea. Most likely a scout from his outfit. She knew immediately that there would be no pulse coming from him.

She went towards the corpse and inspected it. She found no sign of a wound. No stab wound. No slice wound. Not even a sign of a syringe. His body was more or less normal as if the rhea died due to natural cause. After several more inspection, Good Hunter took the silver tag and went inside the ruin.

The ruin appeared to be some kind of fortress. The outer part showed few signs of decay and the inner area was more preserved compared to other ruins. Either this fortress was built to last for a really long time or it was built more recent compared to others.

When she entered a hallway, Good Hunter discovered two corpses, a male human knight and a female human monk. She inspected their corpses, finding their conditions to be similar to that of the rhea outside. She tried to find the adventurer tags but didn't succeed. However, she found what appeared to be a piece of the tag, an emerald.

Alarms started to ring in her head. According to Guild Girl, the emerald-ranked adventurers accepted the quest several months ago. By now, their corpses should've been decomposed and yet the conditions of these bodies were still pristine, as if they had just died recently.

Good Hunter continued her exploration, this time more cautious than earlier. A long pistol on one hand and a mace on another. She passed through various rooms; the great hall, the kitchen, the cabinet, the lavatories, and a lot of hallways. Along the way, she found the bodies of two elves, a dwarf, a beastman, and a human. Since she found no tag among them and combined with the silver-ranked adventurer outside, she had found the bodies of all emerald and bronze-ranked adventurers. Their tags most likely at the bodies of the remaining two silver-ranked adventurers, which she hadn't found yet.

She reached the chapel, one of the few remaining rooms that she hasn't inspected yet. When she looked near the altar, she noticed that it has been moved quite recently judging from the trail of dust. Good Hunter pushed the altar, revealing a hidden door beneath it. She opened it and aimed her pistol towards the entrance, waiting for something to come towards her. After waiting for a few minutes, she finally went through the door.

As the room getting darker, she looked towards the floor. From there, several creatures emerged. One of them was holding a torch and gave it to Good Hunter. She took it and patted the creature on the head.

"Thanks for the help, little one."

The little ones moaned in happiness before returning to the ground, leaving no trace of their existence. Good Hunter holstered her pistol and used the now free hand to hold the torch. The darkness and the torch kind of reminded her about her first time entering a dark place where she needed the latter. She also remembered how long it took her to not ended up back in the Dream.

After walking for a few minutes, she entered a really spacious room. So spacious that she wondered why there was no sign of it outside. She didn't descend really deep, so a room this spacious would make a bulge on the ground outside. Yet there was no such bulge.

It didn't even take her an entire minute to find the last two silver-ranked adventurers. Or rather, what remained of them. One of them was basically a charcoal-shaped body. She wasn't sure what race it was when it still alive. The other had its entire head turned into a paste on the floor.

She wondered why only these whose death didn't look natural at all. Maybe it was related to something in the room.

Good Hunter inspected every inch of the room. The only thing that caught her attention was a rune made from something that looked like blood. There was an arch that looked like a smile with three dots that looked like eyes and nose. From the dots, straight lines were made towards the "smile." All in all, it looked like a smiling face bleeding from the eyes and nose.

She took out a book and a pencil. As she drew the rune in the book, Good Hunter felt that she had seen something like this before. Hopefully, she could remember where she saw it on the way back. The rune made her uncomfortable.

With the rune now recorded in her book, there was only one thing that she needed to do.

Good thing she had enough fuel to torched the ruin.

* * *

"Welcome back, Good Hunter."

Said adventurer didn't greet back. She simply walked towards Guild Girl and gave her the adventurer tags; four emerald, three bronze, and three silvers though one of them were very blackened by whatever turned the owner to charcoal.

"Well, I guess that should've been expected." The staff said as she mourned for the dead adventurers. "Thanks for recovering them."

"It's not a problem." As Guild Girl put the tags inside a pouch and gave it to another staff, Good Hunter asked something. "Speaking of which, something special seems to be approaching."

"Oh, it's harvest festival. It will be held a week from now." Guild Girl explained. "There will be a lot of things happening there. Games, shows, food, things that will put a smile on the people's faces!"

"I see." Good Hunter said before murmuring, "Well, it's been a long time since…"

"So, do you have a plan for it?" Guild Girl suddenly asked.

She didn't immediately answer the question. Her mind went to the past, to a much happier time. He hasn't been born yet, so it was only dad, mom, and herself. She remembered going to a town, celebrating the harvest along with her family and friends.

But that was it.

She didn't remember what she ate when they visited the tavern. She didn't remember how many of her friends were there. She didn't remember even a show that she watched. She didn't remember even a game that they played. So many things that she could no longer remember.

"I guess…I have a plan."

* * *

In the middle of the road, with trees on both sides of it, a trio of adventurers was walking towards their destination. Only one of them was fine with it though. In fact, she was quite cheerful about it. Sometimes hopping around her companions. The other two didn't share it at all.

"Remind me again, why we decide to take a walk rather than a carriage?" One of them asked. "I am pretty sure we're not short on money."

"Because this is more fun!" The hopping adventurer replied. "The birds are singing! The sun still high in the sky! The cloud gave us the shade that protects us…!"

"And to think that this is the hero that slain the Demon Lord…" The complaining adventurer muttered under her breath.

Said hero was now hopping while also spinning, cheerfulness adorned her face. She suddenly stopped, however, as a powerful wind appeared and made her tattered red cape covered her face. She then struggling in setting her own face free.

"Let her be." The third adventurer, one wearing a hood, stated. "This is better than before, after all."

"Can't exactly disagree with that." The no longer complaining adventurer replied. "But sooner or later, she must…"

"That time _will_ come." The hooded adventurer insisted. "Until then, we shall support her as best as we can."

The hero managed to free her face from her cape. She looked at it for a while before continuing her walk with her companions following close behind.

* * *

 **Answers to some reviews:**

 **VGBlackwing:** Don't worry. There will be no shortage of quest.

 **Brave2000:** Well, Goblin Slayer looks kind of like a character from _Dark Souls_ , don't you think?

 **OmegaCloud696:** Hunting manticore and goblin are two different things. Just because you're good at one, doesn't mean you're good at another.

While manticore is considered more dangerous than a goblin, the latter is no less dangerous. Doesn't help that tactic against both would be different.

* * *

 **And this chapter is now complete.**

 **If you have a question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review, please!**


	5. Sense of Nostalgia

**Sense of Nostalgia**

The town was brimming with activity.

Caravans come and go, each of them bringing their cargo before returning back to bring even more. Taverns and cafes stocking food and drink for the upcoming customers that they knew would be larger in number than usual. Across the street, entertainers preparing their stands where people could have fun with the game that they set. At the city center, the townsfolks were building a stage where performance could be played.

"Everyone looks busy."

"Of course, they are! The festival is only in a matter of a week!" Padfoot Waitress replied as she brought the order. "Here you go, Miss Hunter!"

Good Hunter accepted the bowl of chicken stew and a mug of ale. As she enjoyed her meal, she took a look at the adventurers in the building. There were few of them than usual. Those who were in the building were also looked relaxed, being inside because it was their usual gathering place rather than wanting to take any quest.

After finishing the meal and leaving the payment on the table, Good Hunter went towards the quest board. It seemed to be emptier than usual; normally, some papers would cover others but this time, there was enough room for all of them to be seen in the entirety.

"Ah, Good Hunter!" She turned her head and found herself face-to-face with Guild Girl. "Something I can help you with?"

"I notice there are fewer quests than usual." She replied.

"Well, as you know, it's almost the Harvest Festival. There's a good reason that it is celebrated when monsters' activity at its lowest."

"I thought it is winter when some monsters decide to hibernate."

"Alright." Guild Girl rolled her eyes before laughing. "At its lowest _during harvest season_."

"I see." Good Hunter took one of the papers. "Most of it seems to be an escort mission."

"Of course. People from all walks of life with various reasons will come to the city for the festival. Many of them will need protection." She stopped smiling when she realized that the adventurer was not listening to her. "Um, Good Hunter?"

She didn't give any sign of hearing the Guild's staff. Good Hunter intensely stared at the paper. More precisely, the word "escort" that was written on it.

" _Ms. Hunter, they're coming close!"_

" _Damn it! Get down the stairs, I'll hold them off!"_

" _But…"_

" _Don't worry, it won't be long. You won't even realize I was gone."_

" _O-Okay."_

"Good Hunter!" She stopped her thought and looked at the worried face of Guild Girl. "Are you alright?"

She turned her eyes towards the paper in her hand, crumpled by the pressure of her hand. She attached it back to the board before taking several steps away.

"I am sorry." Good Hunter replied. "Just a bad memory."

The Guild's staff merely nodded her head. Even for those who lived a successful life as an adventurer, there were always moments that they wished to forget. Monsters, bandits, practitioners of dark arts, many of them could give even the strongest person a nightmare or two. It didn't surprise her that Good Hunter has her own baggage.

"I'll…I'll take my leave." The adventurer said as she went towards the door.

"O-Of course." Guild Girl replied as she waved her hand. "Good luck, miss."

With the door closed, she let out a sigh and focused back on her work. She needed to finish her work or else she would be forced to do it during the festival.

* * *

In front of a tombstone, Doll was currently praying for the departing soul. After finishing her prayer, she stood up, dusted her dress, and went to another tombstone. When she arrived, there was already another person there; it was none other than Good Hunter, sitting opposite of the tombstone. On it, words were written.

FOR THE ABANDONED GIRL

DAUGHTER OF

GASCOIGNE AND VIOLA

MAY HER SOUL REST IN PEACE

"Hmm?" The Hunter, noticing Doll, looked up. "Ah, it's you, Doll."

"Good Hunter." She put her hand on her shoulder. "Your soul is not in peace."

"What gives it away?" She let out a laugh but it felt empty of happiness. "Just wondering, do you know how many people have died during the Night of the Hunt?"

"Ever since the First Hunter drew his blade, countless men, women, and children have perished through many means, either being targets or collateral."

Both women remained silent in front of the tombstone. After a few moments, Good Hunter stood up and went towards the workshop. Once she was inside, she went to the table where she conducted an investigation regarding a peculiar symbol that she found in one of her quests.

She hoped it was merely an unfortunate coincidence but she knew better than that; the symbol was, without doubt, the Caryll Rune of Formless Oedon. She didn't know how or why it appeared in the ruins. What she knew was that the existence of a Caryll Rune did not bode well for the future, especially one that has a connection to a Great One.

At the moment, she was walking in the dark, having no clue at all. She needed to collect more before her investigation could lead to somewhere meaningful. It was just like in Yharnam; travel around the labyrinth of a city to find a clue to finish her task which could involve visiting the same place more than thrice.

There could be people during the festival that could help. She had heard that the Dwarfs were well-known for their runes. There were also Elves who were very gifted with magic, even more so than humans.

Besides, she really needed a way to calm herself down less she lost _it_.

* * *

The Harvest Festival was currently in full swing. People from all over the place, from all walks of life, were celebrating together on the street, on the taverns, on almost everywhere. The street vendors were offering various good and service, from a skewered meat and vegetable to a game of throwing balls into the mouth of the stone frog.

In front of the gate, surrounded by people entering and leaving the town, Good Hunter was having a last inspection of her clothing and weapons. She was wearing the late Lady Maria's Hunter Set with her weapons being Rakuyo and Evelyn, the same weapons that Lady Maria used during their fight in the Astral Clocktower.

All in all, she looked like a noble who decide to celebrate the festival on the street. Somewhat eye-catching but not exactly notable. There would be more people like that inside.

The first thing that she noticed the moment she set her foot inside was the smell of burning flesh. She reminded herself that it was very, _very_ unlikely that it was the smell of a burning corpse. Especially since the smell of burning corpse wouldn't be this…pleasant.

The smell was if she had to describe it with a word, savory. Just from it alone she knew that the flesh was seasoned with salt and pepper. She looked at where the smell came from and as expected, it was from a vendor roasting poultry on skewers.

Well, she went to the festival as a way to relax. What better way to do that than fulfilling her stomach?

"Ah, young lady!" The vendor, noticing Good Hunter, greeted her. "Fancy yourself some street food?"

"I would like one." She replied, emphasized by her index finger raised.

"Of course!" He gave her one of the skewers. "Here you go, young lady!"

"Keep the change." She said after giving the money and went away, leaving the surprised vendor with a gold coin.

She tried to enjoy the taste and aroma in their entirety but ended up eating all of it in less than a minute. Sighing, Good Hunter threw the skewer into one of the bins provided to collect trash. She wandered around the town, trying to find something entertaining.

* * *

After they finished their date, Goblin Slayer and Cow Girl went to their separate way. As she looked at the ring that he put on her right ring finger, she wondered what else she could do in the festival.

"Oh, I should buy something for Uncle." She said to herself before laughing a little. "It's a shame that he's unable to celebrate it with everyone."

Cow Girl began to think about what to buy. If it was food or drink, they would likely be spoiled when she arrived at the farm. So, it needed to be an item of the sort. Problem was, she didn't know what kind of trinket that men like. Ring? Necklace?

She stopped her thought when she heard the sound of children being excited. When she looked at the source, she saw them currently watching a monkey juggling several balls while its tamer was playing the drum. She smiled upon seeing it, finding the show rather cute in her opinion.

Suddenly, her face lost its smile. She immediately turned around. When she didn't see what she felt, she started to run around, trying to find whatever caused her to feel _it_ again.

She remembered that feeling. She remembered it very well. After all, it was the feeling that reunited her with her childhood friend. After that meeting, she no longer felt it again. Make sense as she didn't need it anymore.

So, who could trigger that feeling again?

" _Think…think…_ " Cow Girl thought that as she ran around. " _Who do you know back in your old village?_ "

There were her parents, obviously. She also remembered that she had another friend or two besides Goblin Slayer. There were also others like the old man who often told her story, the woman who she often called "auntie" who knew how to make a pastry, and…

Suddenly, she slipped up and fell to the road. It attracted the attention of the people around her. She went up a little and let out a grunt of pain.

"Ouch…"

"Oi, are you alright?"

Cow Girl raised her head and saw a man with a spear crouched down in front of her, offering his hand. She accepted it and the adventurer helped her stand up.

"I am fine." She said as she dusted her dress. "I just thought I…saw someone that I haven't seen for…a long time."

"I…see…" A woman wearing a witch outfit suddenly approached them. "Ah…it is…you…"

"Huh? Do I…" Cow Girl took a closer look at her before she finally remembered. "Ah, it's you!"

"Have we ever…" This time, it was Spearman turned to remember. "Ah, I remember. You once posted a quest for an escort."

"T-That's right." She said as she focused her mind on the pair. "So, you guys are celebrating here as well."

"Well, this is…where we…work…" Witch replied as she lightened her pipe. "So…about the…person you are…looking for…"

"Ah!" Cow Girl began to look around, trying to find the one that she has been looking for. "Looks like…I lose…her…"

Her. That was right. For some reason, she was unable to immediately recognize her, unlike with Goblin Slayer. Was it because she was someone more distant than him?

But still, who was it?

* * *

Inside a tavern, the three people that often work together with Goblin Slayer – High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, and Lizard Priest – were currently enjoying their meal. The biggest person in the group was happily enjoying his meat that was served with cheese, though it looked more like as if the cheese was served with meat toppings. The only woman, on the other hand, was still sulking.

"Come on now, Anvil. Just let it go." Dwarf Shaman said as he drank his mead. "There's a difference between throwing a ball and shooting an arrow."

"I know that! But there's no way I couldn't land even a single ball!" High Elf Archer complained in return.

"Everyone has their bad day, Madam Elf." Lizard Priest stated as he kept enjoying his "nectar." "I am sure you could do better next time."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." She replied as she took a sip of her wine.

Suddenly, without warning, the elf spat out her drink, causing a mess on the table. She started to cough and banged the table, making even more mess on it. Fortunately, Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest managed to grab their food and moved it away from High Elf Archer.

"What is wrong with you, long ear?" The dwarf asked loudly.

Rather than answering her companion, the archer instead opened the window beside her and took her head out, seemingly trying to find something. The other two of the group wondered what could cause her to act like that.

"Madam Elf, is there something wrong?" Lizard Priest asked as he gently put down his plate.

"What? None of you feel it?" High Elf Archer asked back, pulling her head back. "It's not even inside the building and I can feel it as clear as a sunny day!"

"We're not as attuned to nature as the elves." Dwarf Shaman stated. "Why don't you tell us what the problem is?"

"It's…" She tried to say something but suddenly stopped as she gritted her teeth. "I…I don't know how to explain it…properly. We Elves have our words to describe it but I am not sure what a proper translation would be."

"Maybe you could give us a rough picture?" The priest suggested.

"Hmm…it's…it's as if something is…it's just not right…" Her voice became sharper. "The feeling that something is just _not_ right. It's not supposed to exist."

Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest looked at each other. Admittedly, it wasn't much of a clue. Their experience, however, was more than enough to compensate.

Looks like they need to do another job before they could celebrate the festival at its fullest.

* * *

A part of her mind cursed the fact that she wouldn't be able to continue enjoying the festival. Another part was quite hopeful about the possibility of finding a clue regarding her current investigation.

She didn't know why but Good Hunter could feel that the person that she was currently following did not have a good intention in the slightest. She couldn't see their gender or race due to the robe that they wore.

After several minutes of walking among the celebrating populace, the robed figure moved towards an alley. Good Hunter followed his trail, Rakuyo ready to be drawn at the slightest sign of hostility. Slowly but steadily, the chased and the chaser walked further away from the public eye.

* * *

" _What the…_ "

Before she could finish her thought, Good Hunter found herself having to deflect an incoming attack. As she jumped away from the attacker, she looked at her surrounding; looked nothing like an alley of a town.

"It seems that I am right." She turned her attention towards the speaker, none other than her attacker. "A brave, foolish adventurer decides to face _me_ alone!"

As the attacker, likely a male from his voice, laughed, Good Hunter looked closer at her attacker. The first thing that she noticed was the pointed ears that he has. Judging from his height, the man in front of her was an elf. Not just any elf though; his tanned skin indicated that he was a Dark Elf.

"Adventurers these days. So full of glory, yet no power to back it up." Dark Elf spoke again before preparing another attack. "No need to pray, woman. Not even your gods could help you."

He dashed towards her, faster than what any human could ever achieve except a select few. Good Hunter was part of that exception for none of his attack was able to seriously injure her. He did manage to make some scratches though.

"Such power…" Dark Elf said as he moved back. "The reflects, the skill, you must be silver. Perhaps approaching a gold."

When he talked, she tried to use the chance by throwing a knife towards him, which he simply avoided by sidestepping.

"With you as a sacrifice, my Master will be more than pleased." He stated as he let out another laugh. "Give up, woman! You're trapped here with no way of reinforcement coming!"

"Trapped?" Good Hunter finally uttered a word. "You are right."

She took several steps forward. As she did so, her left hand when to the handle of Rakuyo.

"But I am not trapped here." She separated the sword, now wielding a katana on one hand and a dagger on another. " _You_ are trapped with _me_."

Dark Elf was almost taken aback. She said it not with a mocking tone. It was as if she merely desired to fix a mistake, like a mother telling her child when the latter made a bad decision. He squinted her eyes and growled a little.

How dare for her to even think that she stood a chance to beat him?

"Have it your way, _woman_!" He exclaimed as the elf dashed towards her.

As their blade clashed into each other, Good Hunter was thinking about a lot of things. A part of her mind tried to predict and memorize his movements. Another part wondered how she could suddenly appear in gods-know-where. Yet another part focused on making sure that both of them were alone.

And the last part wondered how many times she was going to die until she succeeded.

* * *

 **And it is finally done.**

 **If you have a question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review, please!**


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